This blog provides stories that Denyse O'Leary, a Toronto-based journalist, has found to be of interest, as she covers the growing intelligent design controversy. It supports her book By Design or by Chance? (Augsburg 2004). Does the universe - and do life forms - show evidence of intelligent design? If so, Carl Sagan was wrong and so is Richard Dawkins. Now what?

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Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Gene, gene: the meadow is green. And where are you when I need to blame you for something?

In "Scientists and philosophers find that the gene has a multitude of meanings," (New York Times, November 10, 2008), Natalie Angier made a useful point:

Scientists have learned that the canonical “genes” account for an embarrassingly tiny part of the human genome: maybe 1 percent of the three billion paired subunits of DNA that are stuffed into nearly every cell of the body qualify as indisputable protein codes. Scientists are also learning that many of the gene-free regions of our DNA are far more loquacious than previously believed, far more willing to express themselves in ways that have nothing to do with protein manufacture.

Indeed.

Much of the public still thinks that there is a "gay gene" or a "swinger gene" or a "fat gene."

As if. As if some unhappy friend's tomcat boyfriend has a "swinger gene."

A message to any women who are reading this: Look, if your life is a mess, it's you, basically, it is not your genes. Forget all that garbage.

If your boyfriend is a tomcat, why are you with him anyway? If you know you deserve better, it must be true. Otherwise, how would you have known?

Perhaps you must live a while without a boyfriend, but ... at least you won't bother wondering who he is with. Maybe he's dating the Devil's daughter. So? If you hear screaming in the night, shut the window and call the police. Don't get involved.

If you have reached the end of your rope, go here for help. If you haven't reached the end of your rope, there are other places you can try, of course, but we deal with the worst cases here, so you may as well go here first.